QuoteReplyTopic: Lodges in the Middle East Posted: September/22/2008 at 8:25pm

Brethren,

I was contacted through my Yahoo Answers profile about joining The Craft.He is from the country of Jordan and lives and works in UAE.

From my research, I was not able to find any lodges there, but I'm confident that there is *some* masonic activity there.

I found a website citing Dubai freemasonry, but no details aside from saying they operated under the Jurisdiction of The Grand Lodge of Philippines, but the Grand Lodge said that they do not have any sanctioned lodges outside their territory in UAE.

Can anyone help get me a little closer to information that could benefit this gentleman?

Only foreign lodges, working in the "foreign" cities (either military bases, or special towns designed for foreigners only). For an arab, muslim, joining a lodge in UAE can mean death sentence! Lebanon has active masonry (I am not sure, I think Jordan has too). UAE and Saudi - strictly forbidden.

There are lodges all over the MidEast (I am in Afghanistan now). Masonry exists in Saudi Arabia, there are lodge for the oil industry workers. The Saudi government turns a blind eye to them, as long as they are discreet.

A group of brave Iraqis is working right now to build a lodge, and get masonry underway in Iraq. (I lived there 2005-2008)

Charles - there are lodges all over the middle east, but only within the american bases, or within the so called "foreign" towns (gated communities for foreigners only, where alcohol is permitted too). But - for an arab (muslim), to be a freemason is VERY dangerous, and I believe that the future candidate should be told that. In some of these countries (Saudi and UAE) he may face a death penalty for being a mason, and believe me - they do not close their eyes when it comes to their own people, although they treat americans differently. So - he has to know the full story, and then - if he still wants to be in, it's his choice.

This is quite true. In some predominately Muslim countries, Freemasonry is absolutely banned, and membership can lead to imprisonment or death. The Shi'a government of Iran bans all Masonic activities (There is a grand lodge of Iran in exile, and a Scottish Rite of Iran in Exile). Anyone should be very careful when approaching Freemasonry in this part of the world.

Several reasons. Masonry is non-sectarian, and admits men of many different religious faiths and backgrounds. In Saudi Arabia, the ONLY religion permitted is Islam. Saudi also forbids organizations and clubs, the government is very "paranoid" about groups who meet regularly. The government in Saudi is paranoid. (I spent a year in Saudi, and attended lodges there)

The government of Iraq, has no problem with organizations and clubs. However, there is a lot of sectarian violence. Shi'a kill Sunni, and vice versa. Some people carry two sets of identity cards, so that they can get through different checkpoints. The country is very violent, and on the brink of civil war (in some areas). Still, anyone who meets in secret, with members of different religions, is in extreme danger. (I lived in Iraq for two years)

Here in Afghanistan, we will have a working lodge soon. But it will be on a military base, and only for US and third-country people. Afghans are not normally permitted on the bases.

In Saudi, Christianity is also allowed - but when in the society, you have to behave according to the islamic law.

There are two reasons why they have problems with masonry in these countries.

First - as Charles said - masonry is non-sectarian and does not preach religion to anyone. Islamic Law (Sheria) forbids this - Islam has to be preached everywhere and at all times.

Second, and more important - the fall of the Khaliphat! That is the main reason why muslim countries have problem with masonry. The Turkish (Ottoman) Empire, was the Khaliphat (the islamic state, carrier of the islamic law and head of the islamic world). In 1908 there was a revolution, lead by the Young Turks political movement. Almost all of their leaders were masons. This revolution lead to destruction of the Khaliphat in the early 20's. Again - the government in power - almost all masons.

That moment, the loosing of the Khaliphat, ment loosing of the strenght of the Islam even within the muslim countries and opening towards western influence. Or at least it was seen so by the muslims... The Khaliphat is the ideal state, according to their religious views.

Many muslims don't share this view, and in Turkey masonry is very strong - probably one of the most organized and most active GL's in the whole world!!! But - the majority is against us.

Christians are permitted to enter Saudi and work there. I did for one year. But the Christian religion may NOT be practiced in public, there are no churches permitted. Only a few private groups, that meet in private homes, very discreetly.

Christians are permitted to enter Saudi and work there. I did for one year. But the Christian religion may NOT be practiced in public, there are no churches permitted. Only a few private groups, that meet in private homes, very discreetly.

cemab4y is correct. I lived in Saudi for two years. Islam is the only legal religion allowed to be practiced within the country. Christians are permitted to enter Saudi, but their religion is listed as heathen. Those that hold private prayer services within the country do so secretly and a lot of Christians do. While I was there a private group was not so discreet got busted and the 8 or 10 members present were deported.

Islam basically views Masonry as a political group and/or afraid that any civic group meeting and growing would gain sufficient political strength to threaten the government and religion. Also, the Rotary and Kawainas are viewed as a different branch of Freemasonry.

"Until you realize that your viewpoint is incomplete and that's '_' viewpoint is complete, only then can you become teachable in the Mysteries of '_'."

Today, it's not really smart to wear any masonic symbols in any of those countries...

Regarding the religion in Saudi. You are mistaken my friends I am afraid...

It is forbidden to open a church in Saudi. It's been like that for centuries. But - the Eastern Orthodox churches and monasteries that existed in their theritory, still work. Now, after so many centuries, the first new church will be built soon (in progress)...

So - for any of the protestant denominations this practicly means - not being allowed to practice their own religion, but Christianity as a whole is allowed (only within the existing orthodox churches - and there are few).

Saudi Arabia is an Islamic monarchy and the Government has declared the Qur'an and the Sunnah (tradition) of Muhammad to be the country’s Constitution. Freedom of religion is severely limited. Islam is the official religion. The Government prohibits the private and public practice of other religions, even though officially they state private worship is allowed. The Saudis even discriminates against other Islam sects not of the Sunnah (Wahhabi) tradition.

"Until you realize that your viewpoint is incomplete and that's '_' viewpoint is complete, only then can you become teachable in the Mysteries of '_'."

Actually, I was going through the internet for some days reading a searching about freemasonry. tell I ended up with this forum and read your thread.

to introduce myself, I am a Muslim living in Saudi. I have been interested in masonry for many reasons. the most important one is that I believe that freemasonry has unique understanding of how this world revolves and how to think in a different way looking to enhance our surrounding. Although, there are still many ambiguous things to be known about freemasonry and its activities, vision, and mission. what is freemasonry? why is it ambiguous or confidential at some parts? why there is no official centralized representation for this fraternity? what is the purpose of it?

Reading your thread, I found many interested information that you have mentioned about middle east. The first thing poped to my mind when I read the above thread, is how differently we will interpret each other’s behavior if we are coming from different backgrounds.

Please find below comments that I would love to share with you guys:

1.Islam does not ban other people from other religions to conduct their religion activities. This law is assumed by the saudi government under some pressure from the (Originated lobby) these people are very strict in their laws. But if you read quran or sunnah, you will never find such a thing.

2.Many governments in the middle east will try to revert everything to an islamic reasons to convince the majority of the population with it. However, if you want to learn more about islam, you can read the translated copies of quran and sunnah. Any other thing will be a normal interpretation that cannot be referred to as islamic law.

3.The Turkish movement destroyed the Ottoman Empire only in Turkey. In the rest of the arab world, ottoman empire were destroyed by a revolution named (The Great Arabian Revolution) and this was lead by the ancients of the ruling systems in the middle east currently and it was supported by Great Britain at that time.

4.The reason why the freemasonry is banned in the middle east is not related to islam. The governments will always through it at islam. But the main reason is that they are not democratic political entities and they will never allow any freedom of power in their countries.

5.Unfortunately, all the political systems in the middle east were brought by western countries. And these systems are still supported by the western countries. I think it’s nothing with the religion but rather than something with the political system itself. Muslim states have ruled many countries and they never banned Christianity. Spain, Palestine (known to be Israel now), and Egypt are good examples of countries that were ruled by the Islamic law and other religions were never banned in these countries.

Dear brother, I'm a lawyer living and working in Buenos Aires, and I'm interested in moving to Dubai for a while, to gain new experience and learn something about islamic law. I've also been searching for some lodge there where I can find some help, but with success so far. I would appreciate any piece of advice you or anyone can give me.

I have served two (2) contracts in Saudi Arabia. When I first arrived, in 1991, I asked around, and found several Masons there at ARAMCO (Arabian-American Oil Company). The Saudis are pretty much indifferent to anyone wearing Masonic jewelry. I wore my Masonic ring with no problem at all.

In 1997, I got a job at the King Khalid International Airport, and I also wore my lodge ring, with no problems. Since foreigners fly in and out of the airport, all people who transit, are watched carefully by Saudi security and customs officers.

Normally, Christian symbols are banned. The Saudis have no real problem with a person wearing a small cross on their necklace, as long as you do not make a big show of it.

I think it would be most inadviseable to wear any Shrine symbolism, or anything identifying oneself as a Shriner.

hello, im kinda new to this forum but i was wondering...
your a mason right?
your a member and all?
i was wondering if you knew where i could find a lodge or building in dubai where i can join?
i tried googling it but it was useless.
if you can help me it would be much appreciated!

Wannabe Mason - I think you should introduce yourself to the forum before asking for information that some might consider sensitive. No disrespect, Wannabe, but we have no idea who you are. So please tell us about yourself first.

hello, im kinda new to this forum but i was wondering... your a mason right? your a member and all? i was wondering if you knew where i could find a lodge or building in dubai where i can join? i tried googling it but it was useless. if you can help me it would be much appreciated!

I don't think there's too much in Dubai as far as Freemasonry goes, and I can't be absolutely be 100% on that.

The earlier posts here in this thread indicate that, but Military people here just may be able to assist.

im sorry, i shouldn't have skipped the introductions....
my name is omar, im currently a student in SANDS national academy(its in amman jordan)
im 16 yrs old and(as young as i am) i have greatly considered joining the masons, and would love to find out where i could find the nearest settlements(not like i could just call the operator and say:"hello where can i find a secret society?" lol)
why do i want to join you ask?(if you ask...)
i am simply one who searches for a path, one i lost track of and one that i might find with the masons help
i would gladly do my part for them in turn

sry that i didnt introduce myself first lol
the name wannabe mason is pretty self explanatory....
well if u could help me i would be grateful...

im sorry, i shouldn't have skipped the introductions.... my name is omar, im currently a student in SANDS national academy(its in amman jordan) im 16 yrs old and(as young as i am) i have greatly considered joining the masons, and would love to find out where i could find the nearest settlements(not like i could just call the operator and say:"hello where can i find a secret society?" lol) why do i want to join you ask?(if you ask...) i am simply one who searches for a path, one i lost track of and one that i might find with the masons help i would gladly do my part for them in turn

sry that i didnt introduce myself first lol the name wannabe mason is pretty self explanatory.... well if u could help me i would be grateful...

Well, firstly.....we are not a " secret society".....we are a society that have secrets. But don't worry.......we all know what you mean, but should you get questioned by other people. .......that would be a better response.

I don't know much about Jordan and it's culture and more importantly the regulations of your country regarding "external organisations". Freemasonry is not readily accepted in some Middle East countries, but we all hope that will change.

There MAY be others in this forum who may be able to help, I certainly can't, but my advice is.........Keep trying.

I would say that it won't make any sense to look for a contact now... The minimum age for membership is 21, and in many lodges in the east, the minimum is either 24 or 25... So... keep learning, keep working on yourself - and when time comes - then apply.

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hi, i am new to this forum. i am working in dubai. and i'm a member in Grand lodge of Tiruchirapalli (India). Is there lodge in dubai. can u anyone pls update me about this??

I am in Afghanistan now but retruning to Dubai tomorrow; while here I met a freemason and we discussed this topic in detail. My grandfather was a Mason in Kimberley South Africa, but he passed away many years ago when I was too young to join. I have always been interested in the practice and feel that I am at a point in my life where I am ready to actively participate in the learnings.

The mason I met here said tat he will vouch forme if I find a Mason in Dubai, but as was mentioned in this forumit is not as easy as that. He said he will try and find out more about anyone practicing and pass the information onto me.

Good day. I am a Filipino 35 years old who works in Dubai. I learned or was aware of freemasonry only in 2002. As years passed, I had watched documentaries and do my research about freemasonry. When I learned of the teachings of freemasonry, I free willingly want to join your fraternity and share the same point of views how a man should live. Problem is after years of searching I cannot find a lodge here in UAE. I had contact a freemason in Philippines who was willing to endorse me to a lodge near my place but unfortunately I only stay in the Philippines for a month once a year. I ask a friend who is now a freemason but lives in the US of how long does it take at least to start the process of joining freemasonry, I informed him that I only stay in the Philippines for at least a month. He told me that a month is too short. According to him, he took three years to become a master mason. I am not in a hurry to become a master mason. I just want to start the process. I need an advise of how and where to start the process.

In many Lodges it could be as short as 60 days if you are a good learner. Some maybe as short as 3 or 4 weeks if you are a fast learner and the Code does not require 30 days between degrees. I don't think a 1 day class would be available to you (& don't recommend this).

"Until you realize that your viewpoint is incomplete and that's '_' viewpoint is complete, only then can you become teachable in the Mysteries of '_'."

The Freemason I spoke to in Afhanistan also said that he doesnt recommend the 1 day class, he said I would be a broken man!! haha

Thanks to everyone in this forum, it is sad that there is a lack of Lodges in the UAE; especially considering that the UAE is trying to brand itself as a culturally accepting country in the Middle East.

By the way, I want to find out something. Freemasons dont believe in idol worship etc. Does this mean the crusafix with Jesus, or a statue of Buddha is acceptable?

I finally found this link http://lebanonmasonry.info/ ..... Now anyone looking for a Lodge in Syria or Jordan should be able to get help from one of the Lodges in Lebanon.

The Grand Lodge of Scotland opened its first lodge in Lebanon in 1861
and was called Palestine Lodge No. 415.

1869 the Grand Orient of France (GOF), which was still recognized as the
regular Grand Lodge in France, consecrated “Le Liban Lodge” in Beirut,
Lebanon

The National Grand Lodge of Egypt, which was recognized by the United
Grand Lodge of England in 1877, opened “Phoenicia Lodge” in Beirut,
Lebanon, in 1891

The Grand Lodge of New York chartered two lodges in Lebanon in 1924.

In 1988, the Grand Orient of Italy, the only recognized regular Grand
Lodge in Italy, issued a charter to “Fraternita Italo-Lebanese Lodge No.
1073 in the city of Jounieh, Lebanon

In 2002, the Regular Grand Lodge of Italy (consecrated in 1993 by the
United Grand Lodge of England after the latter broke amity with the
Grand Orient of Italy) re-chartered under its own jurisdiction in
Lebanon “Fraternita Italo-Lebanese Lodge No. 1073 (which was under the
jurisdiction of the Grand Orient of Italy) as “Fraternita Italo-Lebanese
Lodge No. 168″

Hello everybody i just want to know if anybody cand help me with my situation... i belong to the rising vega chapter 181 out of kandahar, Afghanistan and i never got my certificate so i want to know if anybody can help me or let me know what i can do to get it

Hello everybody i just want to know if anybody cand help me with my situation... i belong to the rising vega chapter 181 out of kandahar, Afghanistan and i never got my certificate so i want to know if anybody can help me or let me know what i can do to get it

thank u

Best thing to do is contact your GL directly. They may have not sent it out yet. Because of the cost of printing these items, they may only be printed once or twice a year in a large batch.

HelloI'll soon be spending a lot of time in Amman, Jordan on business (next several years) and would like to know if there are any masonic brothers living there (any nationality). I travel all over the world and have visited lodges in Argentina, and sat in working lodges in Scotland and Ireland, and I found their work to be quite a bit different (refreshing to see something new).

I'll try contacting my local Grand Lodge of Texas, but thought this would be a good place to check as well.

One of the newly-raised brothers at my lodge is a Muslim who sometimes travels to Jordan and the UAE and was hoping to find Masonry there on his next visits. Will he be in any danger if he wears anything Masonic or if anyone learns of him being a Mason?

In UAE - yes, he can be in danger. In some of the emirates, Freemasonry is punishable by jail. In Jordan - I think that the state doesn't prohibit at the moment, but lots of people might have negative feelings towards Freemasonry. So - if I was him - I would NOT wear any rings, pins or anything masonic.

In the Middle East, it would be wise for a Mason to keep a low profile - not all countries or governments appreciate or respect the principles that we can all meet on the level regardless of social/economic station, and respect the individual's interpretation and manner of devotion to Deity.

Sadly, I would not recommend you to join a lodge in the Philippines because the brethren over there will not have a chance to know a lot about you and your family. since, as you mentioned, you only stay in the Phils for a month.

It may take a while for one to be join the "craft". Depends on your progress and depends on how the brethren of your lodge see's your commitment.

I suggest, you join a lodge that is near your place of residence or work. A lodge where it is convinient for you to join. Joining a lodge that is too far from your place of residence would have its consequences -- you may later find it to tiresome to travel and the brethren would not a chance to know you better.

Freemasonry is not just about joining a fraternity -- it is a commitment, it is a way of life.

I "might" soon be coming over to Dubai late this month. I would be glad to share more about freemasonry with you, if and when I come over and when we get to meet.

As they say, seek and soon you shall find, knock and it will be openned and ask and you shall receive...

I am in Afghanistan. I have lived in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. You should be discreet about showing any Masonic "bling", when you are in this part of the world. I wore my lodge ring, all over Saudi (Eastern province, and the Capital). The Saudis do not care one way or another. (I checked with some of the Masons there).

You should be on the lookout for Masons, when you arrive in country, and ask men who have been in your country of assignment, what the general practices are. In Iraq and Afghanistan, I work on military bases, with no interaction with the local people.

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